final reports of the 1972–2010 excavations...
TRANSCRIPT
HERODIUM
Final Reports of the 1972–2010 Excavations
Directed by Ehud Netzer
Volume I
Herod’s Tomb Precinct
Roi Porat, Rachel Chachy, and Yakov Kalman
with contributions by:
N. Ahipaz, S. Amorai-Stark, B. Arensburg, A. Barash, A. Belfer-Cohen,
R. Bouchnick, A. Ecker, E. Eshel, G. Foerster, J. Gärtner, M. Hershkovitz,
S. Ilani, R.E. Jackson-Tal, I. Ktalav, T. Minster, R. Nenner-Soriano,
O. Peleg-Barkat, R. Sarig, D.R. Schwartz, G.D. Stiebel, D. Wachs, and B. Zissu
Israel Exploration Society
Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jerusalem 2015
THIS VOLUME WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY
THE SAMIS FOUNDATION
ISBN 978-965-221-099-9
©2015 Israel Exploration Society
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form
(except for brief excerpts of reviewers), without permission from the publisher.
Editing by Robert Amoils
Layout by Avraham Pladot
Typesetting by Marzel A.S. — Jerusalem
Printed by Old City Press Ltd., Jerusalem
Contents
Samuel Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix–x
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi–xxi
List of Loci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxii–xxviii
List of Illustrations, Plans, Tables, and Plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxix–xliv
PART I: Introduction
Chapter 1: Herodium in History (Daniel R. Schwartz) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–14
Chapter 2: History of Research (Rachel Chachy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15–19
PART II: Stratigraphy and Architecture
Chapter 3: The Stratigraphy in the Area of Herod’s Tomb Precinct
(Roi Porat, Yakov Kalman, and Rachel Chachy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21–200
PART III: The Mausoleum
Chapter 4: The Reconstruction of the Mausoleum (Rachel Chachy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201–313
Chapter 5: The Architectural Decoration of the Mausoleum
(Orit Peleg-Barkat and Rachel Chachy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314–348
Chapter 6: The Sarcophagi from the Mausoleum Unearthed at Herodium
(Gideon Foerster) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349–361
Chapter 7: Human Bones from the Area of the Mausoleum (Anna Belfer-Cohen,
Baruch Arensburg, Alon Barash, and Raheli Sarig) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362–364
PART IV: The Finds
Chapter 8: The Pottery from the Area of the Mausoleum (Judit Gärtner) . . . . . . . . . . 365–395
Chapter 9: The Glass Finds from the Area of Herod’s Tomb (Ruth E. Jackson-Tal) . . . . 396–408
Chapter 10: The Coins from Herodium — the Tomb Area (Nili Ahipaz) . . . . . . . . . . . 409–425
Chapter 11: The Metal Artifacts from the Area of the Mausoleum
(Ravit Nenner-Soriano). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426–431
Chapter 12: Military Equipment from the Area of the Mausoleum and the Theater
at Herodium (Guy D. Stiebel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432–453
Chapter 13: The Latin and Greek Inscribed Pottery from the Area of the Tomb
at Herodium (Avner Ecker) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454–459
Chapter 14: The Hebrew and Aramaic Inscriptions from the Area of the Tomb
at Herodium (Esther Eshel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460–473
Chapter 15: Gem and Ring from Herodium (Malka Hershkovitz and Shua Amorai-Stark) . 474–475
Chapter 16: Finds of Animal Remains from the Excavations on the Northern Slope
of Herodium (Area A), 2006–2010 (Ram Bouchnick). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476–503
Chapter 17: The Molluscs (Inbar Ktalav) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504–510
Chapter 18: Graffito of a Ship and a Boat (Boaz Zissu) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511–514
Conclusions
Synthesis and Archaeological-Historical Discussion
(Roi Porat, Yakov Kalman, and Rachel Chachy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515–534
Appendix I
The Geological and Morphological Structure of Herodium and the Quarries for Building
Stones and Fill Materials (Shimon Ilani, Tsevi Minster, and Daniel Wachs) . . 535–546
Color Plates
CHAPTER 9
THE GLASS FINDS
FROM THE AREA OF HEROD’S TOMB
Ruth E. Jackson-Tal
Some 110 glass fragments were found in the tomb area, of which 27 identifiable vessels and small finds
are discussed and presented below in a catalogue.1 The vessels were made by sagging, free-blowing, and
mold-blowing. The glass assemblage consists mainly of bowls and beakers; bottles were found in smaller
numbers. Most of the vessels were made of colorless glass, and a few were of green and yellowish-brown
glass. They were covered with black, silver, and white weathering and a shiny iridescence. The other 80
glass fragments are made up of 17 grooved cast bowls, five wall fragments and bases with vertical tooled
ribs, five rounded beaker rims, two incised wall fragments, two bottle necks, and two tubular bases, the
rest being unidentifiable small wall fragments.
The stratigraphic context in which the catalogued items were found ranges more or less from the earliest
to the latest occupation of this area. The earliest context with regard to the glass finds belongs to the stage
of the ritual bath (miqveh) revealed to the north of Herod’s tomb, which predates the latter. The following
context postdates this miqveh, but predates the creation of the artificial mount. Next in line is the stage
that postdates the late stairway (and the creation of the artificial mount), and thus also the construction of
Herod’s tomb; it should most probably be dated after Herod’s death, but prior to the First Jewish Revolt.
Most common are the contexts relating to the First Revolt and postdating the destruction of the mauso-
leum. In particular, the huge refuse dump, revealed between the ruins of the mausoleum and those of the
late stairway featured many finds. This dump seems to have been created at the end of the First Revolt by
the Roman army who took control of the Mountain Palace-Fortress and apparently cleaned up ‘garbage’
left there by the earlier occupants.2 Alternatively, but less likely, it might have been the result of earlier
clean-up operations by the rebels themselves, near the end of the revolt. The latest context featuring cata-
logued finds postdates the First Revolt and extends up to the time of the Bar-Kokhba Revolt.
LINEAR-CUT BOWLS (Pl. 9.I: 1–3)
These bowls can be identified as linear-cut bowls,
dated to the last quarter of the first century BCE and
the first half of the first century CE (Grose 1979:
63–65). They were probably produced by the sag-
ging technique, deriving from casting, where a
rounded glass disc is placed on or in a rounded mold
in the furnace until it slumps into the desired shape
(Grose 1989: 194). Some 20 linear-cut bowl frag-
ments were found at the tomb, three of which are pre-
sented here. Bowl no. 1 has a complete profile,
indicating it was deep with two sets of horizontal
grooves on the interior. Bowl no. 2 was probably
conical with a single remaining horizontal groove on
the interior, and bowl no. 3 was probably deep with
straight walls and a single remaining horizontal
groove on the interior.
Similar bowls of these various shapes have been
found throughout Israel, in contexts dated from the
mid-first century BCE to the first century CE (Jack-
son-Tal 2009: 222–223, Type 2.A.5, Fig. 5.4: 1–13).
At Herodium, the various fragments of bowl no. 1
[ 396 ]
[ 397 ]
C H A P T E R 9 : T H E G L A S S F I N D S
Pl. 9.I. Glass bowl fragments found in the tomb area.
were found below the upper floor, in front of the
ritual bath (miqveh) revealed to the north of Herod’s
tomb, and predating it. Bowl no. 2 came from inside
the pool to the west of the mausoleum, from a layer
predating the First Revolt; bowl no. 3 was revealed
in a refuse dump exposed to the east of the eastern
boundary wall of the tomb’s precinct, which predates
the creation of the artificial mount.
1. L.A2920–6560, L.A2928–6584, L.A2930–6608.
Complete profile. Yellow-brown with white and
silver weathering and iridescent film. Straight,
rounded thickened rim and rounded wall with
three grooves on the interior. Flat base. Rim
diam.: 14 cm. Base diam.: 6 cm.
2. L.A2660–5445. Rim-and-wall fragment. Color-
less with thick black and silver weathering and
iridescent film. Slightly flaring, rounded rim and
curving wall with one groove on the interior. Rim
diam.: 18 cm.
3. L.A2545–5074. Rim-and-wall fragment. Color-
less with thick black and silver weathering and
iridescent film. Flaring rounded rim and straight
wall with one groove on the interior. Rim diam.:
10 cm.
BOWL WITH DOUBLE TUBULAR
FOLD (Pl. 9.I: 4)
Bowls with double tubular folds below their rims or
on the wall were common throughout the Roman
period and are dated according to their fabric, loca-
tion, the shape of their fold, and the archaeological
context. The bowls were free-blown and the folds
tooled. This bowl has an outsplayed rim with a
double tubular fold just below it.
Similar bowls have been found in Israel, mainly in
contexts dated to the late first century CE (Jackson-
Tal 2009: 239–240, Type 3.A.7, Fig. 15.5: 1–6). At
Herodium, the context in which bowl no. 4 was
found has a rather wide time span (postdating the
First Revolt), since it came from a baulk that was dis-
mantled at some point during the excavations.
4. L.A2747–6109. Rim fragment. Colorless with
bluish tinge. Silver weathering and iridescent
film. Outsplayed rounded rim with double tubular
fold below. Rim diam.: 12 cm.
BOWL WITH FOLDED RIM (Pl. 9.I: 5)
Bowls with folded rims were common in ancient
Israel throughout the Roman period, and therefore
their exact date is uncertain.
Similar bowls were found mainly in contexts dated
to the time of the Bar-Kokhba Revolt, but earlier
examples dated to the first century CE are also
known (Jackson-Tal 2009: 238–239, Type 3.A.5,
Fig. 5.14: 1–7). At Herodium, bowl no. 5 was
revealed in the refuse dump exposed between the
ruins of the mausoleum and those of the late stair-
way, which can be dated around the end of the First
Revolt.
5. L.A2658–6074. Rim-and-wall fragment. Color-
less with greenish tinge. Silver weathering and
iridescent film. Incurving and outfolded rim.
Beginning of rounded wall. Rim diam.: 19 cm.
BOWLS/BEAKERS WITH STRAIGHT
WALLS (Pl. 9.I: 6–9)
This type of small bowls or beakers with straight
walls and straight or flaring thickened rounded rims
has a shape that is simple to produce and use. There-
fore it was very common in ancient Israel and the
Roman Empire throughout the Roman period. In
Israel such vessels are known in contexts dated to the
first–early second century CE (Jackson-Tal 2009:
246, Type 3.A.17, Fig. 5.18: 1–2, 4–7). They were
free-blown with no further decoration.
Similar bowls were found at ªEn Boqeq (Jackson-
Tal 2000: 75–76, Fig. 4.2: 9), En Gedi (Jackson-Tal
2007: 477, Pl. 2: 2), in the City of David in Jerusalem
(Ariel 1990: 156, 163, Figs. 30: GL24, 33:
GL90–GL94), and other sites. At Herodium, the con-
text in which bowl no. 6 was found, immediately
below an ash layer relating to a baking oven (tabun)
built by the rebels, dates it to the beginning of the
First Revolt, after the destruction of the mausoleum.
Bowls nos. 7 and 9 were revealed in the refuse dump
exposed between the ruins of the mausoleum and
[ 398 ]
H E R O D I U M I : H E R O D ’ S T O M B P R E C I N C T
those of the late stairway, which can be dated around
the end of the First Jewish Revolt. Bowl no. 8 post-
dates the First Revolt.
6. L.A2929–6589. Rim-and-wall fragment. Color-
less with thick black and silver weathering and
iridescent film. Straight thickened and rounded
rim. Straight thin wall. Rim diam.: 6.4 cm.
7. L.A2655–5428/1. Rim-and-wall fragment. Col-
orless with thick black and silver weathering and
iridescent film. Slightly flaring rounded rim.
Tapering thin wall. Rim diam.: 6.2 cm.
8. L.A2599–5257. Rim-and-wall fragment. Color-
less with thick black and silver weathering and
iridescent film. Flaring thickened rounded rim.
Straight thin wall. Rim diam.: 7.2 cm.
9. L.A2655–5428/2. Rim-and-wall fragment. Col-
orless with thick black and silver weathering and
iridescent film. Flaring thickened rounded rim.
Straight thin wall. Rim diam.: 6.2 cm.
BOWL WITH VERTICAL RIBS (Pl. 9.II:
10)
This is a small bowl, with an outfolded rim, deco-
rated with uneven tooled vertical ribs. Such bowls
are known from Early Roman contexts, especially
during the late first–early second century CE (Jack-
son-Tal 2009: 243–244, Type 3.A.13, Fig. 5.16:
14–17). Usually, only the typical solid, slightly
splaying bases and ribbed walls are preserved. The
example found at the site is important because it is
one of the few known ones with a complete profile,
here indicating the size and shape of the vessel, the
rim shape, and type of ribs. Three other ribbed base
fragments of this type were found in the tomb area.
Bases with vertical ribs were found in Early
Roman contexts in the City of David, Jerusalem
(Ariel 1990: 161–163, Fig. 33: 84), in Khirbet
Qumran (Wouters et al. 2002: Figs. 4: 2; 19), in the
Cave of Horror (Barag 1962: 213, Fig. 18), Rujm el-
Bahr (Bar-Adon 1989: 14, Fig. 11a: 15), the Cave of
the Pool (Avigad 1962: 178, Fig. 6: 2), and in Stra-
tum 2b at Ashdod, dated to the Herodian
period (Barag 1971: 204, no. 14, Fig. 105: 11). At
Herodium, bowl no. 10 was revealed in the refuse
dump exposed between the ruins of the mausoleum
and those of the late stairway, which can be dated
around the end of the First Revolt.
10. L.A2591–5189/1. Separate rim-and-wall frag-
ment and base-and-wall fragment. Colorless
with greenish tinge. Black and silver weathering
and iridescent film. Straight outfolded rim. Flat
solid base, slightly concave in the center.
Rounded thin wall with remains of seven thin
tooled vertical ribs, of different heights. Rim
diam.: 7.6 cm. Base diam.: 4 cm.
INCISED BEAKERS (Pl. 9.II: 11–13)
This type of beakers, with wheel-cut horizontal inci-
sions, is known from the second half of the first cen-
tury to the fourth century CE (Isings 1957: 48–49,
Form 34). Such vessels are known from late first- to
second-century CE contexts in the eastern and west-
ern parts of the Roman Empire and probably served
as drinking vessels. Three examples were found at
the site. These are light yellow and colorless,
rounded and conical vessels with straight rounded
and truncated rims, and narrow and wide exterior
incisions.
In Israel such vessels are known from contexts
dated to the first–early second century CE (Jackson-
Tal 2009: 261–262, Type 3.B.2, Fig. 5.30: 7–15;
5.31: 1–12). A similarly decorated beaker and cup
were found in Burial Cave 1 at Akeldama, Jeru-
salem, dated to the first century CE (Winter 1996:
95–96, Fig. 5.1: 1). Other vessels were found in Area
A of the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, in Stratum 6
dated to the end of the second century BCE and
beginning of the first century CE, and in mixed loci
(Gorin-Rosen 2003: 382–383, Pls. 15.2: G18; 15.8:
G88–G89), in Area E of the Jewish Quarter of Jeru-
salem (Gorin-Rosen 2006: 254, Pl. 10.5: G66–G67),
in Cave VIII/9 and Cave VIII/28 in the Judean
Desert dated to the time of the Bar-Kokhba Revolt
(Jackson-Tal 2002: 127, 167–168, Fig. 1: 3–4;
Gorin-Rosen 2002: 144, Fig. 1: 4), and at Machaerus
in a Herodian context (Loffreda 1996: 115, Fig. 52:
1–3, 7–11). At Herodium, beakers nos. 11, 12, and 13
were revealed in the refuse dump exposed between
the ruins of the mausoleum and those of the late
[ 399 ]
C H A P T E R 9 : T H E G L A S S F I N D S
[ 400 ]
H E R O D I U M I : H E R O D ’ S T O M B P R E C I N C T
Pl. 9.II. Glass fragments found in the tomb area.
stairway, which can be dated around the end of the
First Revolt.
11. L.A2590–5177/1. Rim-and-wall fragment. Light
yellow with iridescent film. Slightly incurving,
cut rim, and rounded wall curving toward the
base, with horizontal grooves and incisions on
the exterior. Rim diam.: 6.2 cm.
12. L.A2655–5428/3. Rim-and-wall fragment. Col-
orless with remains of thick black weathering
and iridescent film. Slightly flaring, rounded
rim. Thin tapering wall with remains of a single
incision on the exterior, below the rim. Rim
diam.: 9 cm.
13. L.A2590–5177/2. Wall fragment. Colorless with
little silver weathering. Curved thin wall with
remains of a single incision on the exterior,
toward the base.
LOW TUBULAR AND SOLID BASES
(Pl. 9.II: 14–16)
Low tubular and solid bases were common for vari-
ous bowl types throughout the Roman period, and
therefore their exact date is uncertain. We can
assume they belonged to bowls and beakers of the
types presented above, which are mainly from the
Early Roman period.
Similar bases are known from the time of the Bar-
Kokhba Revolt at ªAin-ªArrub in the Hebron Hills
(Tsafrir and Zissu 2002: 27–28, Fig. 17: 7–8), the El-
Jai cave, north of Jerusalem (Eshel, Zissu, and
Frumkin 1998: 97, Fig. 2: 3), caves at Ketef Jericho
(Eshel and Zissu 1998: 139–140, Fig. 5: 1, 3, Fig. 6:
2), and in the Cave of the Pool (Avigad 1962: 178,
Fig. 6: 6). Others were found in an Early Roman con-
text in the miqveh at Alon Shevut (Gorin-Rosen
1999: 85, Fig. 1: 6–7), at ªAin ez-Zara (Dussart 1997:
97, Pl. 23: 6, 6a, 6b), and in the Officina at ªEn Boqeq
(Jackson-Tal 2000: 76, Fig. 4.2: 10). At Herodium,
the context in which base no. 14 was found postdates
the First Jewish Revolt. Bases nos. 15 and 16 were
revealed in the refuse dump exposed between the
ruins of the mausoleum and those of the late stair-
way, which can be dated around the end of the First
Revolt.
14. L.A2646–5366. Complete base and beginning
of wall. Colorless with greenish tinge. Thick
black and silver weathering and iridescent film.
Flat, low tubular base with pontil scar (2 cm).
Beginning of curving thin wall. Base diam.: 4.8
cm.
15. L.A2655–5428/4. Base fragment and beginning
of wall. Colorless with thick black and silver
weathering and iridescent film. Concave low
solid base and beginning of thin wall. Base
diam.: 4.4 cm.
16. L.A2655–5428/5. Base fragment and beginning
of wall. Light green, with silver weathering.
Low solid base. Base diam.: 4.4 cm.
BOTTLE WITH INFOLDED RIM (Pl.
9.II: 17)
Infolded rims and cylindrical narrow necks could
belong to pear-shaped or candlestick bottles. Both
types are known from the Early Roman period,
although the candlestick type was in use for a longer
duration. Pear-shaped bottles from the first century
CE are known to have been used throughout the
Roman Empire (Isings 1957: 42–43, Form 28b).
Numerous pear-shaped bottles have been found
throughout Israel (Jackson-Tal 2009: 251–252, Type
3.A.26, Fig. 5.22: 1–19), mainly in burial caves in
Jerusalem, dated up to 70 CE, e.g., in Dominus Flevit
(Bagatti and Milik 1958: 141, Fig. 33: 1–2, 5), in
Binyamin Mitudela Street (Rahmani 1961: 114–116,
Pl. 17: 6), in Ben-Zvi Avenue (Bahat 1982: 68, Fig.
2: 8–9), and in the Akeldama tombs in the Kidron
Valley (Winter 1996: 96, Fig. 5.2: 1–2). Candlestick
bottles were common in ancient Israel from the end
of the first to the beginning of the third century CE
(Jackson-Tal 2009: 253–257, Type 3.A.29, Figs.
5.24–5.26). Vessels with a similar rim were found in
the Burnt House in Jerusalem, dated to the first cen-
tury CE, up to 70 CE (Israeli 2010: 226, Pl. 6.2:
G34–G35). Although the exact shape of this bottle is
difficult to determine, its delicate form and fabric
strongly suggest an Early Roman dating. At
Herodium, bottle no. 17 was revealed in the refuse
dump exposed between the ruins of the mausoleum
[ 401 ]
C H A P T E R 9 : T H E G L A S S F I N D S
and those of the late stairway, which can be dated
around the end of the First Revolt.
17. L.A2655–5428/6. Rim-and-neck fragment. Col-
orless with thick black and silver weathering and
iridescent film. Slightly flaring and infolded rim.
Narrow cylindrical neck. Rim diam.: 1.4 cm.
BOTTLE /JUG WITH OUTFOLDED
AND UPFOLDED RIM (Pl. 9.II: 18)
Outfolded and upfolded rims are very typical of
Early Roman bottles and jugs (Isings 1957: 22–23,
40–41, Forms 6, 26a). Similar bottles and jugs were
found in an Early Roman context, first–early second
century CE, in the Cave of the Letters (Barag 1963:
Fig. 38: 1, 8), in Tomb 22 between Nahsholim and
Habonim (Ovadiah 1985: 163, Pl. XL: 4), in a burial
cave at Kafr Yama (Arbel 1999: 37*, Fig. 70: 5), in
Burial Cave 3 near Kabri (Stern and Gorin-Rosen
1997: 5, Fig. 3: 12), in a burial cave at Hagosherim
(Ovadiah 1999: 37*, Fig. 3: 4), and in Burial Cave 2
near Tel Qedesh (Edelstein 2002: 100*, 259, Fig. 2:
4). At Herodium, bottle no. 18 was revealed in the
refuse dump exposed between the ruins of the mau-
soleum and those of the late stairway, which can be
dated around the end of the First Revolt.
18. L.A2758–6133. Rim-and-beginning-of-neck
fragment. Colorless with thick black and silver
weathering. Downfolded, outfolded, and
upfolded rim and beginning of cylindrical neck.
Rim diam.: 4 cm.
MOLD-BLOWN BEAKER WITH
FORMULATED GREEK INSCRIPTION
(Pl. 9.III: 19)
Two fragments of probably the same inscribed
beaker with remains of a floral decoration and a
mold-blown Greek inscription were found in the area
of the tomb (Ills. 9.1–2). This beaker belongs to a
group of Syro-Palestinian vessels with mold-blown,
formulated Greek inscriptions dated to the second
half of the first century CE. The inscriptions are of
two types: names of the glassmakers and mottos. The
fragments found in the area of the tomb belong to a
barrel-shaped beaker, produced in a three-part mold.
The vertical palm leaves served to conceal the
seams. The beaker bore two inscriptions. On one
side: [M]NHC[ÈH O A]ÃÏÑ[ACAC], “may the
buyer be remembered.” On the other side:
[NEIKAI]C or [MEGA]C [EÐOHC]EN or
[EÐOIHC]EN, “Neikais or Megas made it.” The let-
ters NHC, from the word MNHCÈH (=remem-
bered), ÃÏÑ, from the word AÃÏÑACAC (=buyer),
C and EN, from the words NEIKAIC or MEGAC
EÐOIHCEN (=Neikais or Megas made it), are the
only parts of the inscriptions that partially survived.
The inscriptions ran along the center of the beaker
and were divided by vertical palm leaves into two
parts. Below and above them were two horizontal
ribs and palm leaf designs.
Fragments of beakers with a similar inscription
were found at Masada, in a context dated no later
than the year 66 CE (Barag 1991: 139; Stern 1995:
74), and perhaps at Caesarea, where only one part of
the inscription survived, not revealing the name of
the artist (Finocchi 1966: 267, Fig. 337), but claimed
by Barag to belong to a Neikais beaker (Barag 1970:
102). The vessels produced by Neikais were only of
one type, a barrel-shaped beaker. Another glass
artist, named Iason, produced the same type of ves-
sels and signed his name on them (Stern 1995:
73–74). They were greatly influenced by the works
of Ennion, the glass artist who produced various
elaborately decorated types of signed glass vessels as
from the first quarter of the first century CE (ibid.:
69–72). The distribution pattern of this group points
to the Syro-Palestinian coast, and the homogeneity
of the beakers probably indicates that they were made
in a single workshop (ibid.: 73–74). At Herodium,
the fragments of beaker no. 19 were revealed in the
refuse dump exposed between the ruins of the mau-
soleum and those of the late stairway, which can be
dated around the end of the First Revolt.
19. L.A2591–5189/2, L.A2655–5397. Two separate
fragments, probably from the same vessel. Large
rim-and-wall fragment and two connecting
small wall fragments. Colorless with greenish
tinge. Little silver weathering. Flaring cut rim,
curving wall with mold-blown design of hori-
zontal ridges, palm tree covering the mold-seam
[ 402 ]
H E R O D I U M I : H E R O D ’ S T O M B P R E C I N C T
[ 403 ]
Pl. 9.III. Glass fragments and other items found in the tomb area.
mark, and remains of letters from the inscrip-
tion. Rim diam.: 7 cm.
MOLD-BLOWN BEAKER WITH
FLORAL DECORATION? (Pl. 9.III: 20)
A rim-and-wall fragment with an unknown mold-
blown design was found at the site. The shape and
fabric of the vessel date it to sometime in the first
century CE. At Herodium, beaker no. 20 was
retrieved from the refuse dump exposed between the
ruins of the mausoleum and those of the late stair-
way, which can be dated around the end of the First
Revolt.
20. L.A2651–5376. Rim-and-wall fragment. Light
green. Silver weathering and iridescent film.
Straight cut rim. Tapering wall with mold-blown
design. Rim diam.: 10 cm.
MOLD-BLOWN BEAKER WITH
ALMOND DECORATION (Pl. 9.III: 21)
This small fragment is part of a beaker decorated
with mold-blown almond bosses. This type was one
of the most common mold-blown drinking vessels in
the Roman Empire during the second half of the first
century CE (Isings 1957: 45–46, Form 31; Stern
1995: 94, 103–108). However, it was not very
common in ancient Israel (Jackson-Tal 2009:
277–278, Type 4.D.1, Fig. 5.41: 1–9).
Fragments of this type were found in Area E of the
Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem (Gorin-Rosen 2006:
254–255, Pl. 10.5: 68–69), at Masada (Barag 1991:
139), at ªAin-ªArrub (Tsafrir and Zissu 2002: 26, Fig.
17: 1), at el-Mefjer Cave, along the eastern escarp-
ment of Jebel Quruntul (Jackson-Tal 2002: 110, 132,
Fig. 6: 6), and at En Gedi (Jackson-Tal 2007:
480–481, Pl. 4: 10). An intact vessel of this type was
revealed during excavations of a burial cave at
Castra (Gorin-Rosen and Katsnelson 1999: 27*,
Color Plate 1). At Herodium, beaker no. 21 was
revealed in the refuse dump exposed between the
ruins of the mausoleum and those of the late stair-
way, which can be dated around the end of the First
Revolt.
21. L.A2762–6552. Wall fragment. Colorless with
bluish tinge. Silver weathering and iridescent
film. Straight wall with mold-blown almond.
MOLD-BLOWN BOTTLE (Pl. 9.III: 22)
This tiny wall fragment probably belongs to the
lower part of a mold-blown hexagonal bottle, known
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H E R O D I U M I : H E R O D ’ S T O M B P R E C I N C T
Ill. 9.1. Mold-blown beaker with formulated Greek inscrip-
tion. (Photo: T. Rogovski)
Ill. 9.2. Mold-blown beaker with formulated Greek inscrip-
tion. (Photo: T. Rogovski)
from the first century CE, especially along the Syro-
Palestinian coast (Stern 1995: 74–86; Whitehouse
2001: 36–43). These bottles were decorated with six
panels on the center, depicting diverse images and
floral decorations on the upper and lower parts. The
neck and rim were free-blown. The body was made
in a three-part mold. The fragment in question is the
narrow band located just below the panels and above
the tapering base, decorated with an egg design,
probably deriving from the architectural element of
an egg-and-dart design. This fits the interpretation
that these vessels, in their hexagonal shape and panel
division, were an imitation of religious architectural
structures (Stern 1995: 85). At Herodium, bottle no.
22 was revealed in the refuse dump exposed between
the ruins of the mausoleum and those of the late stair-
way, which can be dated around the end of the First
Revolt.
22. L.A2762–6146. Wall fragment. Light green.
Silver weathering and iridescent film. Curved
wall with mold-blown horizontal egg design,
bordered by upper and lower horizontal ridges.
MOLD-BLOWN BEAKER BASE (Pl.
9.III: 23)
This base is decorated with three exterior mold-
blown concentric circles. Bottles, jugs and beakers
with such bases are known from the Early Roman
period (Stern 1995: 277–279, 300–309, 313). A simi-
lar beaker base with almond-shaped bosses was
found at En-Gedi (Jackson-Tal 2007: 481, Pl. 5:3).
Perhaps such a base also belonged to the beaker with
the almond decoration found in the area of the tomb.
At Herodium, beaker base no. 23 was revealed in the
refuse dump exposed between the ruins of the mau-
soleum and those of the late stairway, which can be
dated around the end of the First Revolt.
23. L.A2762–5530. Base-and-wall fragment. Light
green. Silver weathering and iridescent film.
Flat base with mold-blown circular designs on
bottom side. Beginning of upcurving wall. Base
diam.: 7.2 cm.
UNKNOWN VESSEL WITH APPLIED
MARVERED BLOBS (Pl. 9.III: 24)
Blobbed marvered vessels were produced by a com-
plicated and lengthy process. An initial parison was
blown, rolled in chips of glass (usually in a contrast-
ing color to that of the original parison), marvered,
reheated, and further inflated (Whitehouse 1997:
207). The vessels are bichrome or sometimes even
polychrome. The most common shapes are closed
ones, mainly jars, jugs, oenochoae, and amphoriskoi,
but cups/deep bowls and krateriskoi are also known,
in smaller numbers (e.g., Harden 1987: nos. 44–45;
Whitehouse 1997: nos. 360–365; Biaggio Simona
1991: Tav. 4: 176.4.054, 40: 176.1.006, 41:
176.2.019, 45: 176.2.233; Figs. 18, 21, 30, 35:
176.4.054; Kunina 1997: 106: no. 70, 109: no. 72,
149–153: nos. 115–118, 155: no. 120). Blobbed
marvered vessels attributed to the eastern Mediterra-
nean and southern Russia are present in museum col-
lections (Harden 1987: 102), but those for which a
place of origin is known came mostly from the west-
ern parts of the Roman Empire, especially from
northern Italy (see Whitehouse 1997: 207 for
detailed parallels).
Accordingly, Fremersdorf (1938: 116–121), who
was the first scholar to deal with this group, sug-
gested they were produced in northern Italy, by
Syrian glass makers. Whitehouse (1997: 207) dated
this group from the early first century to around 70
CE, after Fremersdorf (1938: 121) and according to
evidence from archaeological excavations (Berger
1960: 34; Biaggio Simona 1991: 239–240). Two
other fragments of blue glass decorated with white
blobs were found at the site. The fragment from the
area of the tomb is too small for attribution to a rec-
ognized type. It could perhaps belong to the
carinated part of a krateriskos. No similar vessels
from Israel have yet been published, and therefore
these finds are an important contribution. Such frag-
ments belong to a luxury vessel, probably imported
from Rome for the use of the elite classes at
Herodium.
At Herodium, vessel no. 24 was found in the refuse
dump exposed between the ruins of the mausoleum
and those of the late stairway, which can be dated
around the end of the First Revolt.
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C H A P T E R 9 : T H E G L A S S F I N D S
24. L.A2582–5129. Wall fragment. Blue with white
blobs. Silver weathering and iridescent film.
Carinated wall with applied white circular blobs
on exterior.
RIBBED “MELON” BEADS (Pl. 9.III:
25–26)
These rounded ribbed beads were made of light blue
faience. Faience is an artificial substance, easy to
manipulate, and it can produce a variety of shapes
through molding and firing (Zuckerman 1996: 277).
This type of bead is quite commonly found in exca-
vations in the area, in contexts dating mainly to the
Roman and Byzantine periods, but also in earlier and
later contexts.
Similar beads have been revealed in contexts dated
to the Early Roman period at En Gedi (Chernov
2007: 524, 528, Pl. 10:9–11), in Tomb A2 at Jericho
(Hachlili and Kilibrew 1999: 140–141, Fig. III.
86:2), in Tomb 4 at Tel Goded (Sagiv et al. 1998:
16*, Fig. 13: 12), in a tomb at East Shoam (Torge and
Badhi 2005: 33*, Fig. 3: 8), at ªEin ez-Zeituna (Glick
2006: 62, Fig. 15: 7), and in Tomb 5 at Jatt (Porath et
al. 1999: 45, Fig. 33: 2–3). At Herodium, bead no. 25
was found in the refuse dump exposed between the
ruins of the mausoleum and those of the late stair-
way, which can be dated around the end of the First
Revolt. Bead no. 26 came from the area of the pool to
the west of the mausoleum, in a context postdating
the First Revolt.
25. L.A2655–5431. Bead fragment. Light blue.
Silver weathering and iridescent film. Small cir-
cular squat ribbed frit bead. Round perforation.
Diam.: 1.6 cm.
26. L.A2674–5508. Bead fragment. Light blue.
Silver weathering and iridescent film. Small cir-
cular ribbed frit bead. Round perforation. Diam.:
1.6 cm.
PENDANT (Pl. 9.III: 27)
This rounded pendant was made by a simple tooling
process and suspended in a necklace from its perfo-
rated upper loop. It has no exact parallels among the
Early Roman finds from this area, but its context
dates it to sometime in the first century CE (it was
found in the refuse dump exposed between the ruins
of the mausoleum and those of the late stairway,
which can be dated around the end of the First
Revolt).
27. L.A2758–6142. Intact. Colorless with thick
black and silver weathering and iridescent film.
Uneven rounded pendant with upper loop show-
ing horizontal perforation.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The glass finds discovered in the area of Herod’s
tomb at Herodium include fragments typical of the
Early Roman period. They were produced by
sagging, free-blowing, and mold-blowing. The
vessels are of types dated to the first century CE;
some are of a somewhat later date, representing later
activity in the area. Therefore they usually cannot be
attributed to the time of Herod’s burial. The only
vessels which can be attributed to the earliest stages
are the local sagged linear-cut bowls and the
imported blobbed vessel, dated to the first half of the
first century CE. These constitute a small percentage
of the glass finds (~20 %). The other vessels are dated
mainly to the second half of the first century–early
second century CE. They include a few high-quality
items of tableware, representative of the social and
financial status of the inhabitants of the site. The
majority are plain everyday vessels. Most of the
vessels are well known from excavations in Israel.
Parallels were found in the vicinity of the site,
mainly in Jericho, Jerusalem, and its surroundings, in
contexts dated historically to the First Jewish Revolt
and the Bar-Kokhba Revolt. Most of them were
locally made, except for a few fragments which were
probably imported from the west. The glass
assemblage found at the site resembles those
discovered in the Herodian palaces at Jericho and
Cypros (Jackson-Tal 2013a, idem 2013b). Here too,
the relatively small numbers of luxury ware is
surprising, especially the relative rarity of high-
quality, mold-blown vessels and other imported
luxury ware, typical of palaces and affluent homes of
the Early Roman period.
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H E R O D I U M I : H E R O D ’ S T O M B P R E C I N C T
NOTES
1. I am deeply grateful to the late Professor Ehud Netzer
for the opportunity to study this fascinating assem-
blage. I would also like to thank Rachel Chachy and
Roi Porat for their help in stratigraphic matters, and
Haim Cohen for expertly drawing the glass finds.
2. A phenomenon also attested at Masada, where the
Roman garrison had cleared rubble in search of
hidden loot (Netzer 1991: 625).
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